Sergei Bobylev/Sputnik via Reuters
The U.S. has made direct warnings to Russia against deploying a nuclear-capable anti-satellite weapon, reports say, over fears that it could pose a national security threat to America.
The cautions came after Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), the House Intelligence Committee chairman, last week issued an alarming, cryptic statement about “a serious” threat that the U.S. may need to discuss with its allies. White House national security communications adviser John Kirby later said Turner was talking about a space-based anti-satellite capability being developed by Russia.
Kirby added that the weapon had not yet been deployed and posed no threat to the American public. But the overall threat is being taken seriously enough to warrant multiple warnings being made to Moscow. CIA Director William Burns last week contacted Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s foreign intelligence service, according to CBS News.